ESPN released its first NBA mock draft for 2025, and
In the first 2025 NBA Mock draft released by ESPN, three North Carolina players are taken according to analyst Jonathan Givony. Drake Powell, a five-star recruit, is the first player off the board, selected by the Utah Jazz at No. 10 overall. Fellow five-star Ian Jackson selects the Indiana Pacers at pick No. 19, and rookie Elliot Cadeau selects the San Antonio Spurs at pick No. 35 in the second round.
Since Coby White (No. 7), Cam Johnson (No. 11), and Nassir Little (No. 25) were picked in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, UNC has not had two or more players selected in the same round. UNC had two one-and-done drafts in history, and that was the only instance of that happening.
Cadeau, a five-star prospect who is rated as the No. 2 point guard and No. 12 overall player in the class of 2023, reclassified to enroll at UNC one year early. This season, he has participated in all 28 games (23 starts), averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 19.4% from three-point range and 42.6 percent from the field. ESPN anticipates that he will return for his sophomore season to play with Powell, Jackson, and James Brown, his previous classmates.
Powell has soared to the top of 247Sports’ rankings in the last two years. In March 2022, he made his ranking debut as the 74th player in his class. Since then, he has risen steadily and is currently rated as the ninth best prospect overall in the 2024 class. As a senior at Northwood High School in Pittsboro last season, he packed the box score, averaging 17.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. He made 42.5 percent of his three-pointers and 58.5 percent of his field goals.
National recruiting expert Travis Branham stated, “Powell has made tremendous strides in his development over the last year in every single area.” “He has always had exceptional physical ability, but his skills in passing, creating off the dribble, putting the ball in the air, and shooting from both mid- and long-range are developing. His athleticism also transfers to defense, where he consistently contributes energy and a strong drive. His versatility in the game makes him a high-floor, high-upside player. There’s still a ton of untapped potential.”
In the class of 2024, Jackson is ranked as the eighth prospect and the fourth shooting guard. In the previous season, he averaged 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals while playing for Our Savior Lutheran School (N.Y.). Since Cole Anthony committed to UNC in 2019, he is the highest-rated recruit to pledge to the university since he was ranked sixth in 2000.
“Jackson has some really impressive highs,” basketball scouting director at 247Sports Adam Finkelstein stated. “After that, he had a few less noteworthy low points. When you watch him play, the possibilities are more varied. He has to improve both the consistency of his guarding abilities and his shooting. Although it’s fantastic that he can blow up and have those big nights, there has to beThis week’s “Shooting It Straight” episode features Justin Jackson dissecting UNC’s victory over Miami. He talks about how R.J. Davis had an incredible game against the Hurricanes, scoring 42 points to lead UNC to victory, and how the team needs to be more consistent offensively as a whole. Jackson discusses agreeing to a 10-day contract with the Timberwolves at the conclusion of the program.
Overview of the show (timers are from the YouTube version)
0:00 – The show starts 00:44 – A recap of the victory versus Miami
4:31 – Making a free throw
9:21: R.J. Davis’s momentous evening
14:06: Execution of the game late
20:23 – The final three games’ approach
29:55: Thoughts on the 10-day NBA deal 33:38: Concluding remarks
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With the best specialists, Inside Carolina offers an unmatched roster of regularly scheduled programming devoted to Tar Heel sports. It is available on a single channel in both audio and video (live!) forms. This is the schedule, which will be supplemented all year long with special roundtables, featured interviews, reaction episodes, and more:
* Basketball and recruiting: Coast to Coast with Sherrell McMillan, Sean Moran, and Joey Powell * Basketball: Up in the Rafters with Joel Berry and Taylor Vippolis * Football/basketball: On the Beat with Adam Smith, Jeremiah Holloway, John Bauman, and Tommy Ashley
Basketball: Shooting it Straight with Justin Jackson and John Bauman; Basketball: The Postgame with Dewey Burke and Tommy Ashley; Sports: Next Level with Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley; Football recruiting: Noon Dish with Don Callahan and Tommy Ashley; Football: The Day After with Buck Sanders, Jason Staples, and Tommy Ashley; Football: Schoett & Vipp with Jeff Schoettmer and Taylor Vippolis; Football: The Game Plan with Greg Barnes, Jason Staples, and Tommy Ashley
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For college basketball coaches in their first year, the best performances might be found outside of the high-major levels. Following their thrilling overtime victory over Fresno State on Tuesday, Dany Sprinkle’s Utah State team, which was assembled from the ground up, is tied atop the Mountain West standings. Will Wade, the former coach of LSU, has McNeese State playing at a blazing pace at 25-3 overall and 14-1 in the Southland. Although Green Bay was among the worst college basketball teams in 2018, Sundance Wicks has the Phoenix in a position to contend for a share of the Horizon League regular-season championship. It’s amazing how much Amir Abdur-Rahim has changed South Florida basketball. With 13 straight victories, the Bulls have already secured a share of the AAC championship.
The anomalies are those. No surprise, the majority of the ten newly appointed high-major coaches have had difficulty winning big in the six power conferences. Only a few teams go into March as clear favorites to make the NCAA Tournament, and none are contenders for a championship.
The difficulties of Year 1 do not guarantee that Year 2 will be difficult. Just ask Lamont Paris of South Carolina, who leads the Gamecocks into the SEC Championship game following an 11–21 effort in the previous season. It’s also fair game to do the reverse. A successful first year does not guarantee a seamless second year. Ask Dennis Gates of Mizzou, who is still chasing his first SEC title despite earning a spot in the Big Dance last season.
With yearly roster changes in college basketball, it’s challenging to be successful on a constant basis. Four-year plans should be abandoned.
Wicks said, “The work is never done,” to 247Sports. That’s why college basketball is so incredible. After the season concludes, these teams reunite and discuss their goals for the upcoming season. Even though we all reunite, the work never ends.
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Here’s an audit of the 10 first-year, high-major coaches: What’s gone right, what’s gone wrong and what to expect in an always-important 2024 transfer portal cycle.